TRANSPORTATION

Burlington to Take $585-Million Charge: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. said it will take the fourth-quarter pretax charge to cut about 2,600 jobs, or 6% of its work force, and shed thousands of miles of little-used track. The Fort Worth-based railroad company, the largest in North America, said the cuts will help it absorb its $4-billion acquisition of Schaumburg, Ill.-based Santa Fe Pacific Corp. Burlington didn’t disclose the after-tax effect of the charge. Burlington Northern said it has already eliminated 1,000 of the jobs. An additional 1,600 will be cut during the next few years, reducing the company’s work force to about 42,900. The railroad plans to pare costs by selling 4,000 of its 31,000 miles of track in 27 states west of the Mississippi.